BLUE BEACH - The oldest pelvis fossil in the western hemisphere has turned up on the shores of Blue Beach, near Hantsport in the Annapolis Valley.

It sheds light on a distant, murky period of evolution over 350 million years ago, says a paleontologist from California.

The pelvis was found by Blue Beach Fossil Museum curator Chris Mansky, and identified by paleontologist Jason Anderson of Western University in Pomona, Calif., as belonging to an ancient family of four-legged creatures.

The creatures were named Whatcheeriids, after the city of What Cheer, Iowa, near where they were first discovered a decade ago.

The rare fossils help fill in a gap of 22 million years in the fossil record when simple tetrapods grew into several distinct and complex species, says a paleontologist from California.

Similar fossils have only ever been found in Iowa; Queensland, Australia; and Dumbarton, Scotland.

The pelvis is believed to be the oldest yet, by about five million years.

Mr. Anderson presented his findings at the North American paleontology convention last week in Halifax.

"There's good evidence for a new type of animal in this area," he said in a recent interview. Using the new find, scientists will be able to slowly tease out a better understanding of the little-known period in evolution.

Tetrapods, the ancestors of all amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, are said to be the first animals to crawl out of the sea and walk on land.

"The discovery of this new Whatcheeriid pelvis really helps us to begin to characterize with some confidence just what sort of composition the earliest terrestrial (animals) may have had," Mr. Mansky said.

"Prior to this, we had little to no solid information" besides footprints.

Blue Beach is one of only two tetrapod bone fossil sites in the world with bones dating back to a blank space in the fossil record, beginning 365 million years ago, named Romer's Gap.

Because few fossils from that period have been found, scientists don't know when or how tetrapods suddenly exploded into several distinct types of animals.

The Lower Carboniferous period in evolution is "just a big messy riddle" to paleontologists, Mr. Anderson said, but Blue Beach bones are . . . helping scientists solve the puzzle.

"There are several lifetimes worth of careers to be made (at Blue Beach)," he said.

A bone still intact after 350 million years? I think not. You are saying that bones are forever? Bones never disintegrate in time and become dust like all other matter (except rocks)? Hooey!

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt 11:28-29

TChamp, maybe you should study some paleontology, a science that confirms the facts of evolution. These fossils are not “bones intact” - what happens sonny, is that minerals replace these bones in sedimented soils and eventually all the bone matter is replaced with solidified mineral deposits (basically rock). So that’s the nature of fossilized bone. Sometimes plant material or other organic matter can become petrified (turned to rock) in certain special conditions.

Do you think it is so easy to ridicule or to make irrelevant by one accusation from a science amateur work that professions have worked on for years and devoted whole lifetimes to unravel the mystery? Sorry, little boy, it’s not that simple a matter.

[quote author=“CanZen”]TChamp, maybe you should study some paleontology, a science that confirms the facts of evolution.

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, stop it, please. (just kidding).

Confirms what? CanZen, come on! Look at the facts, evolution has more holes than a block of swiss cheese. The scientific community can confirm nothing, save that they do not have the answers. But don’t worry, Jesus Christ himself will fill in all the blanks soon enough. Ya hear now…

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matt 11:28-29

Look at the facts. The Bible has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. One major hole is the life of Christ. Where was he and what did he do between the ages of twelve and thirty? Does having holes in your theories make them any less valid to you?

When has anyone been able to confirm any of the stories of the bible? Where are the commandments written in stone? Where is the Arc of the Covenant? They wouldn’t have disintegrated, would they? What about any relics from the arc? Where is the tomb? And that big rock from in front of it? Where’s a written history from any country in the area that supports your stories? Where’s proof of all those miracles? Why is it that only people who claim to be the followers of Jesus ever bore witness to his reported miracles?

I’ve seen bones of the dinosaurs. Loads of them. I’ve found fossils and artifacts myself, and researched their history. Can’t do that with your bible stories.

Shouldn’t you require proof before you stake your life on those childhood stories? Why are you so gullible? The more you post, the more I become concerned for your mental health, my friend. Especially when you expect a 2000 year old corpse to suddenly appear and suck you up into a cold atmosphere where there is no oxygen for you to breathe. Tough way to expire. Pity.